Who such Mikhail Vodopyanov? One life, two wars of

was succeeded to carry out Idea to land the person on the North Pole without transitions on dogsleds or skis after in 1935 in the USSR Management of polar aircraft where invited Mikhail Vodopyanov was created. To it suggested to fly about Franz`s Earth - Iosif and to carry out ice investigation in the Karsky and Barentsovy seas.

Three times within two seasons Vodopyanov through the most northern archipelago in the world towards a pole before it was not assured of an opportunity to put the plane on the top of the earth flew. There were many opponents of this invention considering that ices around a pole will not sustain plane weight.

On May 21, 1937 for the first time in the world Vodopyanov put 4 - the motor plane on the North Pole and landed group of the winterers who organized the first drifting North Pole station there (the joint venture - 1). On the plane 13 people, including crew flew. It was one of the most dangerous flights of Vodopyanov. It flew to full uncertainty, but it was flight in the future. For this feat Vodopyanov was awarded by the Order of Lenin as the rank twice of the Hero of the Soviet Union did not exist yet.

In premilitary years Vodopyanov continues to fly to the Polar region. On war with Finland it leaves the volunteer. The front needs the pilots able to fly day and night under any weather conditions. As the commander of the TB heavy bomber - 3 Vodopyanov made many fighting departures. From war returned with an award of the Red Banner.

And again it flies in the north. Pilotage across the Northern Sea Route requires continuous ice investigation.

On June 21, 1941 the plane under Vodopyanov`s command took off on the next investigation. Flight was very long, 25 hours they were airborne and when mudflows, learned about the beginning of war.

All crew right there wrote applications for sending to the front, but refused to them, uninterrupted supply of army across the Northern Sea Route was necessary that is impossible without ice aviation investigation. Vodopyanov showed character. He did not obey to the order, flew up on a seaplane and splashed down on the Khimki reservoir. At night he managed to achieve a meeting with Stalin who on the list of pilots submitted by the pilot wrote “he Agrees. Stalin“.

M. Vodopyanov became the commander 81 - y to a dalnebombardirovochny aviation division. The name of a division spoke for itself. And here on the night of August 11, 1941 from airfield near Leningrad in air 10 bombers with bombing freight rose and went towards Germany. Their purpose - Berlin.

The capital of fascist Germany was reached by six planes: one of - for breakages fell almost right after take-off, one was brought down by mistake by the antiaircraft gunners, and two more did not reach the purpose, otbombitsya on spare and returned. Reached carried out a task on “perfectly“.

Germans did not expect such impudence, the city was well lit and bombs hit the mark. About 10 tons of killing freight became torn in the capital of a Reich. At return at Vodopyanov`s plane engines refused. The pilot put the car in the wood, none of crew suffered, but the plane crashed. There was it behind a front line, they were considered as the dead, but in three days they returned to the.

There was also the second meeting with Stalin, only now Vodopyanov was hauled up on “carpet“. Supreme it was not pleasant that bombing of Berlin was followed by such losses of planes and an aircrew. The decision was double. Vodopyanov was awarded with the Order of Lenin, but ousted the commander of a division. The forty-two-year-old legendary pilot was granted the right to solve, than to be engaged further. It had an ultraboundary age for the pilot, and it could leave for teaching work, it had enough experience for transfer of youth.

Its decision was paradoxical. The brigade commander asked that to him allowed to fly the simple pilot to divisions which he ordered recently. The request was granted, and it took off every night on fighting tasks. It bombed military facilities in Konigsberg and Danzig, generally it were plants, railway junctions, power plants and, certainly, airfields of the opponent.

In 1942 he was appointed the commander of other division to which duties belonged, besides bombing of the major German voyenno - the industrial purposes, the help to the Soviet guerrillas. It personally repeatedly flew to the deep German back in guerrilla groups, taking out wounded and delivering ammunition and the food there.

In 1943 to Vodopyanov gave the rank the general - the major of aircraft.

Soon it had a car accident then with multiple fractures of edges and various injuries spent 4 months in hospital. With fighting departures it was necessary to finish, and it continued military service the military representative at the Kazan aircraft factory. Its experience, knowledge and unique intuition were required for release of bombers with the highest letno - specifications.

In 1946, having retired, Vodopyanov right there returned to polar aircraft. He took active part in the organization in 1948 of scientific station “the joint venture - 2“. There is information that in 1949 he made disembarkation on the South Pole for what he was awarded by the Order of Lenin, but so far it is not confirmed officially.

M. Vodopyanov flew till 55 years that was an absolute record at that time. Many generals could envy “iconostasis“ on his breast: The gold Star, 4 Orders of Lenin, 4 awards of the Red Banner, award of Patriotic war of 1 degree and is a lot of medals.

In hospital, after accident over Baikal, it began to write. From - under its feather there were tens of books: “Flights“, “Dream of the pilot“, “From a plow to the plane“, “On wings to the Arctic“ and others. It is remembered, in the childhood I became engrossed in reading of them. Two of its plays long went in theaters. M. Vodopyanov was a member of the Writers` Union of the USSR.

It is necessary to add that Mikhail Vasilyevich has seven children, some of them went on his feet.

In 78 years in interview he told: “Year still I will live two“. He kept the promise, died in two years - on August 11, 1980.

The name of Mikhail Vodopyanov is born the biggest passenger plane in our country Il - 96 - 300, the very first Sukhoi Superjet 100, the strategic Tu bomber - 160, the Il plane - 76, and also streets in a number of the cities of the country and many other things.

Here such it was - the person - a legend Vodopyanov Mikhail Vasilyevich.